Juice

There is an imbibed, but an unwanted custom of women looking after the snacks and drinks in the kitchen, while the men get-together in the home’s living room, in the society. I have likely seen it happening. Though I initially thought it might arguably be happening lesser, but since Juice has shown this vividly in 2017, it happens; majorly might be, in semi-urbans, but, is prevalent.

The Neeraj Ghaywan-directed large-short has underlining messages delivering hints, leading to its bigger message across - in the beginning when a television audio discusses upon “…women not being conforming to various feminist stereotypes…”, but is cut-short by the group of husbands laughing upon a joke – as if they were teasing off the issue themselves.

Their laughs and mindless-discussions continue as to how the ‘’onotomy’’, as one Bengali husband pronounces it, of women and men is much different; Emperor Akbar’s death ‘conspiracy’, to the ‘weakling’ Hillary’s defeat to Trump, et al.

Women are having their own talks, rather issues on. One, a suggestion of having children, for Pubali’s (Pubali Sanyal) future age, as to which she exclaims, “…are they children or fixed deposits?” Another being focussed on the pregnant wife, to leave work for the child’s caring, to which Manju Singh (Shefali Shah), frustratingly puts, “…why can’t both be done together? I mean, why the responsibility of changing diapers has to be only of ours’, because these men have their hands tied to the (TV) remote, right?”

Manju is gradually, somewhat stirred when the girl-child, while busy playing, is called upon her mother to then serve food to the men, but isn’t told the same to the likely similar-aged boy who she was playing with - lighting upon the notion the the patriarchal legacy may continue. Further incidents are the heat on the cake which then melts upon Manju’s mood and she, finally, takes a bold decision..

You can watch Juice here.